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US 'probing' talks with North Korea

The US has a number of lines of communication with the North Korean regime, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has revealed.

The US is “probing” the possibility of talks with the North Korean regime, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has said.

Following a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping and other officials, Mr Tillerson revealed for the first time that Washington has “lines of communications to Pyongyang”.

This follows months of heated rhetoric between the US and North Korea, following repeated missile tests, as well as the test of a miniaturised hydrogen bomb in September.

While Mr Tillerson said that the US was “not in a dark situation”, the US State Department stated that little progress had been made.

Following this latest development in the North Korean Crisis, The Northern Quota asked members of the public whether holding talks with North Korean were worthwhile.

“I find it all very unnerving because of what they are capable of.”, said Kay Ross, a 21-year-old graduate from Eaglescliffe.

“Any way that could help alleviate the potential for disaster is something I think should be pursued.”

Kay Ross, a 58-year-old librarian, also from Eaglescliffe, agrees. “Yes, because the alternative is so unthinkable. I don’t how possible it would be, but it’s all we’ve got.”

Sally Benson, 58, and her friend Lisa Portas, 47, were more sceptical of the possibility of talks.

“I’m not sure it matters,” said Sally. “I think someone is definitely going to get bombed.”

But Lisa added “Well, I’d hate to be the UN right now."

Sally replied “Well, the UN are rubbish in situations like this. Look what happened in Bosnia in the 90s. Trump speaks before he thinks, which doesn’t help, but China is using all this to maintain it’s own power, even though it cannot stop its own Westernisation. Chinese is seemingly insular and a patriotic nation, yet still lives a similar lifestyle to any Western country.

“More to the point, if North Korea doesn’t push, push, push, it’s all over for them.”